Snow Sunday

The day after my last post, we were feeling guilty about barely leaving the living room. The plan was to go into town, run some errands, cross the bridge to Bishop’s Park to visit the farmer’s market then walk back up and go to the gym. My parents were coming up for pub lunch so we wanted to get some exercise in and avoid being slugs for 2 days in a row. The one spanner in our plan was that it was absolute filth outside. Snowy, sleety, wet and messy. Nevertheless we braved it and headed out.

Once all that was out the way, and my parents had arrived, I thought I’d reward myself with a couple more beers from the beer52 haul of the previous weekend.

Pint No. 17

What? – Wiens, Apricot Wheat beer

Where? – Challenge HQ, Putney

When? – Sunday 21st January 2018

My dad’s a beer fan but he also does some weird shit. He’s gotten into the habit of buying an ale and having half a pint of ale mixed with half a pint of Carling. All in one glass. Madness.

Anyway, I thought he’d quite like to try something he probably wouldn’t ever have even heard of, so pulled out the Apricot Wheat Beer from Wiens brewery. As you can see from the picture it’s super yellow, almost looks like a pint of Buck’s Fizz. It’s a really fruity taste but lacked the sweetness you’d expect given the smell and the colour. I generally like wheat beer and the addition of the apricot was really nice and added something a bit different to the drinking experience. It won a Gold medal in the Belgian-style Fruit Beer category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival and I can see why. It’s a well balanced and interesting beer that I’d definitely have again.

Overall score – 3/5

Pint No. 18

What? – Firestone Walker, 805

Where? – Challenge HQ, Putney

When? – Sunday 21st January 2018

After the fun of the apricots I thought I’d switch to something that looked a bit slicker, a bit more adult, something that’s even got it’s own dedicated website. To be honest though, this was a pretty underwhelming bev. It reminded me a bit of Miller or Coors. Drinkable but pretty tasteless and really didn’t live long in the memory. Not much to say about this at all except it’s another one ticked off the list.

Overall score – 2/5

Pint No. 19

What? – The Telegraph Ale

Where? – The Telegraph, Putney

When? – Sunday 21st January 2018

My 19th beer of the challenge was at The Telegraph pub up by Putney Heath. I love this pub as it’s the only place I’ve found so far in London that reminds of pubs at home. It’s got a huge front garden and looks rustic inside. The one thing it lacks though is cider. Like most pubs in London, cider coverage is tiny and when you do find one it’s normally pretty shite.

Hiding my disappointment, I went for a pint of the pub’s signature Telegraph Ale, brewed specifically for the establishment. I struggled to hide my delight seeing the beer dispensed into a classic dimpled pint pot and it’s rich, mahogany colour. I’ve got a thing for pint glasses and stupidly a nice or even correctly branded glass does enhance my enjoyment of the pint. This cask ale was really nutty and tasty, dark and smelling nice without being overpowering. I really enjoyed this one and would definitely have it again.